Traditional South African Food

I'm all about embracing cultures and the foods that accompany that. I myself was born in South Africa, a country that has had a particularly interesting history. And one that has involved different culinary influences. This dish is made up of many spices- arising from South Africa's Indian heritage. The mixture and proportions can be played around with to suit your taste. It is a delicious meal that would be prefect for a quick dinner on a winter's night. It is usually served with yellow rice (coloured by tumeric) and chutney.

Baboti

Serves 6 

2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper or paprika
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

2 small onions, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon apricot jam
1 handful raisins
2 tablespoons chutney
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
4 slices white bread, roughly chopped
500g mince
1 egg
3/4 cup milk

Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Put in first 8 ingredients, warm thoroughly.

Add next 6 ingredients. Return to low heat and mix until bubbly.

Dampen bread with milk. Squeeze out excess milk and add to mixture. Stir well.

Add mince and cook for 15 minutes.

Fill a large oven-proof dish with the Baboti mixture.

Beat the egg with milk. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour over Baboti mixture.

Bake at 180C for 45 minutes (until custard is golden).

The Lakes District

My most recent trip out of the ol' Ch-Ch was further south to Queenstown, and as has become habit I want to share with you a summary of my foodie discoveries. This part of the world is one of the most beautiful (and many tourists would agree). That's especially true when you're lucky enough to have perfect weather like we did. While still on the cold side, one cannot complain when there is constant sun this time of year.

So the tale begins... first on the list is The Remarkable Sweet Shop. There are stores in Queenstown and Arrowtown with sweets and treats from all over the world. We dived right into their fudge. The favourites were Creme Brulee (a classic), Jelly Tip and Red Velvet. I won't put photos up for risk of drooling onto the keyboard- and also that it went too quickly for any to be taken.

Next recommendation is any fruit stall from the Cromwell region. Maybe it was just the fact that Cromwell has a big statue of fruit which draws you in, but there must be something good about it. Our choice was Jones' Fruit Stall which had a large selection of dried and fresh fruit. Just make sure you get the freshest possible to lower the chance of wastage.

Another important part of one's diet is cheese. Naturally, this was high on the agenda. We visited Gibbston Valley Cheese, which is right next door to Gibbston Valley Winery. All of which are located on the main road to Queenstown. Soon after walking in we were flooded with samples (a good sign!- or maybe a good marketing ploy). In the end, we left with a smoked brie and a Kawarau blue cheese.

While not exactly in the Queenstown area, a must visit for me was the Barker's Store in Geraldine. I have a lot of respect for this company who have become a household name in New Zealand, and who are always developing new products. The store itself has a vast selection of products (all of which you can sample), and you can pick up some bargains like expired stock (only by a month or so) and product trials- e.g. a citrus curd made with lime.

And right next door is a cheese store called Curds and Whey who stock locally made cheeses- delicious! From there we picked up a Geraldine Vintage Cheddar, which includes a silver sticker. It was a great trip with a lot to discover. My goal next time is to hit the back roads and hopefully come across something amazing to share with you all- fingers crossed! But in the meantime and I can put my feet up at home and enjoy a scrummy assortment of cheeses.

(L-R): Smoked Brie, Kawarau Blue, Geraldine Vintage Cheddar

My First Italian Cooking Class

I have a love of Italian cuisine that cannot compare to any other. The pizza, pastas, salads, meats... all of them hit the spot. It was reasonable that the next step would be to take a cooking class in order to recreate some of those dishes in my little kitchen. The class of choice is through Risingholme Community Centre. The first class was held last week. The authentic Italian teacher, Brunella, taught us how to make 'Crostini ai Funghi' and 'Pasta alla Puttanesca'. According to Brunella the pasta dish means an easy dish for a women to cook, but I was later told by my learned mother that it means something quite different.... So in dedication to my love of Italian food, I present Crostini ai Funghi- recreated! A really delicious spread, which is so easy to make!

Crostini ai Funghi

20g butter
1/2 onion
1 garlic clove, crushed
250g mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon vegetable stock
Freshly ground salt and pepper
75g cream cheese, or according to taste
(the recipe actually says 100ml cream but you can use cream cheese as an alternative)
1/4 cup parmesan, grated
1 baguette, sliced
Edam cheese, grated (recipe says Mozzarella but didn't have any)

Melt the butter in a pan. Add onion and garlic and cook over medium heat until tender.
Add mushrooms, parsley and stock, and cook on high until mushrooms are soft.
Reduce heat to low, add salt, pepper and cream cheese. Cook for another two minutes.
Put all into a food processor with parmesan and blend.
Toast baguette pieces in oven until crunchy. Spread mushroom dip on toasted bread and top with grated cheese. Top in oven until cheese is melted.

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Ginger.Love.Care. (New Zealand Food Blog)

Annabel's Quick Zucchini Fritters

I needed to use up a zucchini/courgette/long green thing, and given I was brought up never to waste food- off I went to my cookbooks. This recipe comes from Annabel Langbein's Free Range in the City. The word quick is understated. It's an extremely fast, tasty lunch. I do not, however, recommend that you squeeze out the liquid from the zucchini with a light coloured tea towel. It might turn green... just a bit.












Quick Zucchini Fritters

Makes 4 medium fritters

1 medium zucchini
1 egg
3 tablespoons self-raising flour
30g feta, crumbled
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1 clove garlic
Sprinkling of dried mint
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Pinch of chilli flakes
Salt and pepper, freshly ground
Oil, for frying

Grate zucchini into a clean tea towel, pull up the sides and squeeze tightly to remove as much liquid as possible.
Mix egg and flour to make a thick, smooth batter. Add the courgette and the rest of the ingredients (except butter).
Melt the butter in the fry pan and spoon mixture into pan to make 4 fritters. Flatten slightly.
Cook fritters for 2-3 minutes each side or until cooked through the center.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

I'm always constantly seduced by baking that looks pretty... and these cupcakes are pure eye candy! This recipe is from Made From Scratch. It's not the traditional method (doesn't use buttermilk) but is a great substitute when you don't have any at home.

Tweaked Red Velvet Cupcakes

1 bottle of red food colouring

2 tablespoons cocoa (the first time using my packet of Valrhona cocoa... ohhh la la)

1/4 cup milk

125g butter

3/4 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 tablespoon plain flour

2 teaspoons vanilla essence

1 cup self-raising flour

Butter icing:

125g softened butter
1 cup of icing sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla essence
A few drops of red food colouring

Preheat oven to 180C

In a small bowl make a paste out of the food colouring and cocoa, and mix until smooth.

Combine all other ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add cocoa paste to the cake mixture and beat  until light  and well combined. Spoon mixture into cupcake molds.  

Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before icing.

For the icing, whip butter until white and add the rest of the ingredients. Mix until smooth. Spread over cooled cupcakes.

A Change from Rice and Pasta

I recently checked out the revamped 'The Colombo' and was pleasantly surprised at what a great retail space it has become and the food offerings available. After discovering Coopers & Co and their assortment of unusual foods, we came across Trade Aid's Palestinian Couscous. Even had the store manager rushed up to explain the product with much enthusiasm. And she was right- it's delicious! The nutty flavour and asymmetrical texture really made this dish (courtesy of Donna Hay).

Roasted Pumpkin and Couscous Salad

Serves heaps! (mostly consisting of couscous ;) )

Half a pumpkin, cut into thin slices
Few dashes of olive oil
1 packet Palestinian Couscous
3 cups chicken stock
Half preserved lemon rind, finely chopped
Mint (I used a few sprinklings of dried mint)
200g feta, sliced

Homney Cumin Dressing:
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

Preheat oven to 200C. Place pumpkin in baking tray and drizzle with oil. Bake for 25 minutes. (Was actually running behind schedule so par-boiled it first).
Prepare couscous according to packet instructions and leave to the side while pumpkin roasts.
Stir the rind, mint and feta through the couscous.
For the dressing, shake up all the ingredients together.
To serve, mix pumkin, couscous and dressing together.

Fennel and Potato Gratin

I keep on seeing this beautiful vegetable at Farmers' Markets with long green stems and feather-like leaves. My decision to finally purchase some was purely superficial, so I didn't want a recipe that involved a lot of fuss. After a quick Google search, a recipe for Fennel and Potato Gratin was chosen. Having never made a savoury gratin before, this was a learning experience (ie a bit of a fail). While cutting up the fennel, it was hard to miss the distinctive smell of licorice leaving the stems. Fennel appears to be used a lot in Italian cooking, and given that's my favourite kind of cooking, it will have to be prepared as such next time.

And speaking of Italian...

... Got a bit side tracked there...


Fennel and Potato Gratin

Serves 4

4 medium potatoes
1 fennel bulb
1 cup cream*
1 cup milk*
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Freshly ground salt and pepper

Peel and finely slice potatoes and slice fennel into slivers. Put into cold water, drain and pat dry.
Heat cream and milk in a saucepan to simmering. Add garlic, pepper and salt.
Layer the sliced vegetables in a baking dish and pour over the milk/cream mix.
Cover with foil and bake at 180C for half an hour.
Remove the foil and allow to finish cooking till tender and the top has browned.

*I would highly recommend using half the amount of milk and cream, as the mixture came out quite runny.
It might be quite nice next time with a Parmesan bread crumb coating. Yummy!